You Can Take My Breath Away
by myeveryday
Summary: She started the fires and he put them out. It shouldn't have worked, but it did. They shouldn't have loved each other, but they did. AU Finchel


**Author's Note: This prompt was given to me by gleelover95: "Finn is a firefighter and Rachel is an arsonist." I seriously don't know the first thing about being an arsonist. I'm completely winging this and just making it up as I go along. I'm aware that this is totally unrealistic, but this prompt was suggested to me and I could not let it go (also, I can't get enough of Firefighter!Finn, so…). This story title comes from "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias.**

**The songs used in this story are "America" and "Tonight" from **_**West Side Story**_**.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

**i.**

Finn Hudson sighed as he looked at the scorch marks on the ground. He turned to Sam Evans, who pulled his helmet off and shrugged his shoulders.

"This is the third one this week," Sam said.

Finn scrubbed a hand over his face. "I know. They're normally not this careless."

It was true. The group of people that set these fires normally kept them small and manageable. They generally set fire to old, abandoned furniture in deserted areas. They were actually sure to put the fire out, as well. Finn and his team were normally called after the fact.

"Schuester thinks they were scared away," Sam explained. "Karofsky was doing his rounds back here. We think he might have seen them."

"Anything worth sharing?" Finn asked. He scuffed his boot along the charred remains of an old chest of drawers.

Sam nodded his head. "He said it was a bunch of girls. Twenty, maybe twenty-one years old. He didn't get a good look at any of them, but he said there were at least five of them."

"Huh." Well, this was definitely one of his more interesting cases. A group of young women that weren't destroying buildings or homes and actually tried to put their fires out. Finn's curiosity was definitely piqued. This wasn't exactly a pressing case, but Finn wanted to solve it.

"There's been a pattern to their spots," Finn observed.

"Yup."

"Do we have their next location?"

Sam grinned. "Just got it."

* * *

**ii.**

"Maybe we shouldn't." Rachel Berry twisted her hands in her lap as she looked at her friends with worried eyes.

"Come on, Berry." Santana threw her hands in the air and made a face at the shorter girl. "I'm getting restless."

Honestly, they were lucky that they had Rachel. She kept them all in check. Santana would be more likely to tear through New York City, wreaking havoc. Santana wasn't stupid; she knew that. But that didn't mean that she wanted to skip out on going to her favorite abandoned warehouse.

"Rachel is right," Tina Cohen-Change stated. "We were almost caught by that police officer yesterday."

Quinn Fabray looked at her nails before up at the group. "Why don't we just give it another day?" she suggested. "They never stick around for long. This is New York City. They have bigger things to worry about than a bunch of girls setting fire to crappy furniture."

Santana pointed triumphantly at the blonde. "Quinn makes an excellent point."

Rachel sighed. The truth was, she was getting a little antsy as well. It was that time of year that she hated, when she got a little more lenient with the girls. It was why they had been out so many times this week.

"Okay. Fine."

* * *

**iii.**

"Are you ready?"

Quinn nodded her head and passed the pack of matches to Rachel. "Light it up."

Rachel struck the match and held it for a second. The anticipation was one of her favorite parts. She looked at the little flame before she dropped it onto the large armchair.

Smoke rose into the air as the flames slowly spread across the old fabric. The five young women stood and stared at the piece of old furniture, their eyes unblinking. It wasn't long before the entire armchair was completely engulfed in flames.

Rachel stared into the dancing flames and marveled over how beautiful it was. How could something so beautiful be so destructive at the same time? Watching the flames had always given her a sense of calm; actually lighting fire to something made her feel powerful. It was nice when she felt as if she didn't have any say in her life.

Soon enough, the fire began to die down as the chair crumbled to nothing more than ashes. The girls extinguished the fire, and Rachel made extra sure that it was actually out. Despite the fact that she liked setting fire to things sometimes, she would hate if it spread and hurt someone. So she always made sure that they smothered their little fires.

They all stared at the pile of ashes for a long moment before Quinn finally said, "We should probably go."

They left as quietly as they came.

* * *

**iv.**

"Please Rachel? _Please?_"

Rachel looked away from Quinn's pleading eyes. "I don't know, Quinn," she said.

Quinn pouted. "It's Puck's birthday tomorrow. I just… I just want to forget for a little while, okay? I miss him, and I miss my baby, and…" She trailed off, and tears welled in her green eyes.

Rachel sighed and knew that she had already lost this battle. She really didn't want to say yes about lighting yet another fire; their last one had been just three days ago. That was four in one week, and it was more than they had ever done before. Rachel really felt as if they were pushing their luck.

But looking upon her blonde friend, Rachel knew that she couldn't say no. Quinn was hurting, and having the reminder of Puck's birthday the following day was just going to make it worse. Rachel supposed she was thankful that Quinn had asked her first, instead of just lighting a fire on her own.

Rachel took Quinn's hand and squeezed. "It has to be a little one," she finally said. "And we're not going to any of our regular places."

Quinn gave her friend a little smile and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Rachel," she said.

Rachel hugged her in return. She knew what it felt like to have those unwanted reminders. This entire month—July—was just full of unpleasant memories for her. It was only mid-July, though. This month was passing entirely too slow.

Quinn went to tell Brittany, Santana, and Tina about her plan. Rachel sighed and shook her head. Even though she had allowed it, she had a bad feeling about what was going to happen.

* * *

**v.**

"Come on, Huddy," Mike Chang said. "Our girls are at it again."

Finn jumped up from his chair and quickly pulled his gear on. His team had quickly taken to calling their little group of arsonists "our girls." Finn was absolutely fascinated by them. There seemed to be a sure, methodic way to everything they did. They must have had some type of leader, because they almost never got out of hand.

"Are they still there?" Finn asked as he jumped into the truck.

Sam grinned as he flicked the sirens on and the fire truck went roaring out of the station. "The fire just started. Someone called it in. Karofsky and his boys are already on their way."

"Excellent." Hopefully, they would finally be able to catch a glimpse of their girls. This was their fifth fire in the past week and a half. The more Finn studied the rash of small fires in the area over the past few months, the more he realized that there was a pattern. It matched the one that the girls were currently using.

When they reached the scene, Finn could clearly see an old sofa that had been set ablaze through the windows of the abandoned house. He and his team quickly and expertly put it out, and then Finn went over to Karofsky.

"Did you get them?" he asked the police officer.

Karofsky smiled and nodded his head. "We got 'em. They're in the back of the truck. I gotta warn you, Huddy. They're a sneaky little bunch. This one blonde practically danced away from one of my biggest guys. And there's this little brunette who moves pretty fast."

Finn clapped the man on the shoulder for a job well done. "Noted," he said. He filled Will in on the new information and then made his way over to the truck. He peeked into the window; he wasn't exactly sure what he had been expecting, but it wasn't this.

Finn saw the Latina first. She was pretty, and she was cuddled up to a girl with long blonde hair. She definitely looked as if she were a dancer. Every movement she made was fluid and graceful. There was another blonde, this one with short hair. She was classically beautiful and probably knew it; she looked like the cheerleaders Finn had gone to high school with. There was an Asian girl with blue streaks in her hair, and despite the situation she was currently in, she was laughing as she talked with a tiny brunette.

Finn's eyes fell on the petite woman and stayed locked on her. Finn found her to be the most beautiful out of all of them. Her long, brunette hair was shiny and hung in waves down her back. She had big, brown eyes and pink lips that were stretched into a smile. Even so, her doe eyes held a sadness that nearly broke Finn's heart.

"They had just lit the sofa up when we got here," Karofsky said. "They're probably going to have to do a shit ton of community service, since they've never hurt anyone had have never destroyed any real property. Got any ideas?"

Finn smirked. "I have a few."

* * *

**vi.**

"I can't believe we fucking got caught."

Tina sighed. "It was bound to happen sooner or later, Santana," she said. "We've been getting away with it too easily these past couple of months."

Santana thrust an angry finger in Tina's face. "I'm so not in the mood for your negativity right now, Tina," she snapped. "And they can't hold us forever. We never even did anything wrong, really."

Quinn gave the Latina an incredulous look. "Santana, we set fires all over New York City."

"But not to anything _important_. Just to a bunch of old shit that no one wanted anymore. We didn't vandalize anything, and we didn't hurt anyone. They can't charge us with anything too terrible."

"Are you sure about that?" Rachel asked. She hated to think that they could get in serious trouble for what they had been doing, but she really wanted Santana to be right. They never had done anything really bad.

Santana wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulders and squeezed before she let go and took Brittany's hand. "Berry, I'm in school to be a lawyer. I know my shit."

Rachel cracked a smile and leaned her head against Tina's shoulder. They were holding them in a jail cell, and it wasn't exactly comfortable (they had to discourage Santana from breaking out in order to avoid getting into more trouble).

"I could be watching a _So You Think You Can Dance_ marathon right now," Brittany said with a sigh.

Santana kissed the side of her girlfriend's head. "It's going to be okay. They're going to let us go soon, and then we can watch as many episodes as you want.

As soon as Santana spoke, the officer who had arrested them, Dave Karofsky, came and unlocked their cell. He stepped aside to allow them to come out, smirking at them as they went.

The five young women shared an apprehensive look. They weren't sure of what was about to happen, but they didn't really have a good feeling about it.

* * *

**vii.**

"We're being charged with criminal mischief," Santana explained in a whisper as the judge talked. "Whatever. It's a misdemeanor, so it's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?" Rachel squeaked. She had never had a criminal charge brought up against her before. Not that she didn't deserve it. She was aware that arson was a very serious crime. They were lucky to be getting off so easy.

The judge read of the punishment: they were each going to have to do two hundred hours of community service and then work with the fire department on fire prevention. The place where they would be carrying out their community service had already been picked: McKinley Community Theater. The fire department partnered up with McKinley for their annual spring show for a volunteer project.

"We're assigning each of you a firefighter that you'll work with," the judge explained. "Santana Lopez, you will be working with Sam Evans. Brittany Pierce, you will be with working with the chief, Will Schuester. Quinn Fabray, you will be working with Joe Hart, who is a paramedic. Tina Cohen-Chang, you will be working with Mike Chang, who is also a paramedic. And Rachel Berry, you will be paired with Finn Hudson."

Each firefighter waved when their name was called. Santana made a face and mumbled something under her breath about "trouty mouth." Rachel, for her part, looked upon Finn and felt her cheeks redden.

He had to have been three or four years older than her. He was tall, so tall, with broad shoulders and a young face. He had thick, messy brown hair and a dusting of freckles across his nose. His bright amber eyes connected with hers and held, and then he gave her a half smile that took her breath away.

Santana nudged Quinn and Brittany and gestured to Rachel. "Look. Berry already has a little crush on her firefighter," she mumbled.

Quinn let out a quiet laugh. "Oh, I can't wait to see how this is going to play out."

* * *

**viii.**

"So these are our little felons?"

Rachel scowled at the older, blonde woman in front of her. "We're not felons," she snapped.

"Oh really?" Sue Sylvester arched an eyebrow. "Did you or did you not get arrested for setting fires all around New York City?"

Santana cursed liberally in Spanish. "_Ay Dios mio!_ For the last time, we did not cause any destruction of private property. Therefore, we are not felons. And it's not like we didn't put the fires out!"

Sue waved her hand. "Just don't let your bad habits rub off on my kids, Jugs," she said. Turning back towards everyone else, she announced, "This year, we're putting on _West Side Story_. You'll all be helping with costumes and props and set design. Becky! Assign these groups to their jobs."

Finn rubbed his hands together as he approached Rachel. He greeted her with that adorable half smile again. "So, are you ready to get started? My brother has already tapped us to work on costumes."

Rachel's brow furrowed. "Your brother?"

"Yeah. Well, he's my stepbrother, actually. Kurt Hummel. He volunteers here every summer to help out with the play, so…"

Rachel gasped. "Kurt Hummel? As in the designer Kurt Hummel?"

Finn smiled as he led her backstage. "I guess you know him, then."

"Of course I know him!" Rachel exclaimed. "Who doesn't? He's only designed for some of the biggest celebrities out there. And he's only twenty-two!"

"I'm glad you get to meet him, then." Finn stepped aside and pointed the pale, fashionably dressed man. Quinn and Tina were already fawning over him, and Rachel was quick to join the group.

"I only wish your friends appreciated me this much, Finn!" Kurt exclaimed over the squeals of the three girls. "They know what true fashion really is! Well…" He eyed each girl appraisingly. "Even if they don't wear it." He looked pointedly at Rachel's sweater.

She immediately grew defensive. She knew that at twenty years old, she should be past wearing sweaters with owls on them, but she thought it was cute and it made her feel comfortable. Before Rachel could speak, however, Finn was already coming to her defense.

"Leave her be, Kurt," he said in a mildly amused voice. "I think her sweaters are cute."

Rachel caught Finn's eyes and beamed at him. His cheeks pinked a little, and he smiled back at her. Quinn nudged Santana and pointed at the pair in response. Barely a half hour into their time together, and they were already being super cute.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "You _would_ say that. All you wear are plaid and t-shirts." He clapped his hands together. "We can turn this little community service project into a makeover. Girls, before this summer is over, we are going to go shopping!"

Rachel grinned. Despite his comments about her sweater, she knew that she found a very good friend in Kurt Hummel.

* * *

**ix.**

"I wish we could try out for the play," Brittany lamented.

"The play is for at-risk high school students in the area," Tina pointed out. "We don't exactly fit that."

Santana snorted. "Are you kidding me? We're about as at-risk as you can get."

Quinn slung an arm around Santana's shoulders and smirked. "Tana is right, you know. We did get arrested for setting things on fire, remember?" She was purposefully pushing the Latina's buttons, and she knew it.

"This is such crap," Santana said. "I have a kick ass voice. Berry is destined for Broadway with the pipes she has on her—"

"Santana!" Quinn gasped as Rachel's face fell. She put a hand on her friends shoulder and squeezed. The tiny brunette looked up and gave them all a small smile, but the girls knew that she was only putting on a good face.

"Rachel," Santana said softly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay," Rachel said quickly. She really didn't want to talk about her past dreams. They brought back other bad memories that she had been trying to keep away.

Santana stared at her for a long moment before she finally nodded her head. Brittany looked between her girlfriend and Rachel before she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the petite brunette.

"I still don't think it's fair that we can't try out," Brittany said. "You would have been perfect for the part of Maria, Rachel."

Rachel hugged the blonde in return. "Thanks, B," she said. "I appreciate it."

"At least we can make the best sets that McKinley has ever seen," Tina said optimistically.

Rachel finally cracked a real smile. "And costumes. Don't forget about those."

"Please don't get any of the sexual tension with Finn on the costumes, please," Santana teased. "Children will be wearing those things, you know."

Rachel blushed. "Santana!" she exclaimed. But she became distracted from the topic of Broadway, which was what Santana had been aiming for. She, Quinn, Brittany, and Tina exchanged a look. They were definitely going to have some fun with this.

* * *

**x.**

"I just can't believe that it's Tina," Mike said. He still had this completely dumbstruck look on his face as he sat on his bunk and stared at the wall.

"Wait." Sam's brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what was going on. "So you know that Tina Cohen-Chang girl?"

Mike slowly nodded his head. "We grew up together. Our parents worked in the same company on the Upper East Side."

"Ah, yes," Sam said with a chuckle as he exchanged a look with Finn. "The Changs' fancy jobs on the Upper East Side. How could we forget?"

Mike's parents hadn't exactly been thrilled when he informed them of his plans to become a paramedic with the fire department. They thought that he would put his pre-med schooling from Columbia to other uses—as in, they wanted him to become head surgeon at some hospital. Eventually, they realized that Mike really wanted to work with the fire department and came to support his decision.

He shook his head. "You don't understand. They were really hard on Tina. She wanted to go to school for musical theater and become an actress on Broadway. Her parents had this whole life planned out for her, and she did the exact opposite of what they wanted."

Finn frowned. His mother and stepfather had always supported him. While his mother had been worried when he told her about his plans to join the FDNY, she fully supported him in his endeavors. "Fuck," he breathed. "What ended up happening?"

Mike's eyes were sad as he continued with the story. "They disowned her," he revealed quietly. "She couldn't go to school, and they kicked her out, and… I never got to find out what happened to her. Until now, that is."

Sam and Finn exchanged another worried like. This whole situation seemed to be really affecting Mike. And he was paired up with Tina for the duration of her community service.

"You really like her, don't you?" Finn observed.

When Mike nodded his head, Sam carefully asked, "Is it going to be a problem?"

"No, of course not. I've always cared about Tina. I just want to make sure that she's okay." Mike's face finally relaxed and he gave Finn a pointed look. "But what about you? You've had your eye on Rachel Berry since you first saw her."

Finn's cheeks reddened, but he tried to brush it off. "I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered.

Sam snorted. "Yeah right, Huddy. You've had a hard on for Rachel since you saw her. Backstage was practically bursting with sexual tension.

Before Finn could stop himself, he said, "Is that even allowed?"

Mike smirked and Sam said, "There are no rules against it. And that means that Mike can get with Tina, too."

* * *

**xi.**

"That looks really good, Rach."

Rachel smiled and held up the dress she had just finished mending. "You think?"

Finn nodded his head and smiled. That little dimple appeared in his cheek, and Rachel found herself just wanted to grab his face and kiss it. She blushed and cleared her throat, shaking the dress out as he began to speak.

"Kurt won't let me near the costumes with a needle and thread. He says I'm too fashion-challenged to even fix articles of clothing." He lifted the hanger he was holding. "So I've been sent to folding and hanging duty."

Rachel giggled as she handed the dress to Finn for him to hang up. Their fingers brushed as he took the dress from her and slipped it onto the hanger.

Before Rachel started working on the next dress, she peeked over at the corner where Mike and Tina were working on a set design together. She saw her friend smile and playfully push the paramedic as she laughed at something he said. Rachel grinned and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She sent off a quick text to Santana, Brittany, and Quinn.

"Mike told me about what happened to her," Finn said quietly. "That's horrible. I can see why she would be so sad all of the time."

Rachel looked sharply at Finn. "Who says that she's sad all the time?" she demanded.

"Uh…" Finn rubbed the back of his neck and blinked in surprise at her sudden change in demeanor. "I mean, I guess you're not all that sad when you set fires and all—"

Rachel slammed the spool of thread down. "You don't know the first thing about any of us," she snapped.

Finn's mouth dropped open a little bit before he cleared his throat. "Rach, I didn't mean it like that—"

Once again, she didn't let him finish. She shoved her chair back form the table she had been working at and stood up. "I really appreciate you help, Mr. Hudson, but I think I'm going to go sit with my friends."

* * *

**xii.**

"Is there any particular reason as to why you're mad at my brother?"

Rachel looked up from the set design she was working on. She dipped the brush she was using into some blue paint and started adding more detail to the sky background. "I'm not mad at him." She winced when she realized how short her voice sounded and how tense her shoulders were.

Kurt gave her an amused look. "Okay, sure." He sat down next to Rachel and picked up another paintbrush. "Come on, Rachel. Tell me what he said. I'm an expert in Finn-speak, and I also happen to know that even at twenty-four, he still has a terrible case of word vomit."

Rachel cracked a smile at that, but it quickly faded as Finn's words came back to her. "He just doesn't understand," she said quietly.

"Doesn't understand what?" Kurt prodded gently.

Rachel twisted the paintbrush in her hands. "We're not stupid, you know. We know that what we do isn't very smart or safe. But it makes us feel better." She shrugged her shoulders. "I can't speak for the other girls, but for me… it makes me feel in control of something. I can start it, and I can put it out."

Kurt nodded his head. "I think Finn is going to have problems understanding," he finally said. "He puts the fires out. He doesn't start them. But Finn wants to understand, and you're going to have to help him. He wants to help people. He wants to help _you_. You're going to have to help him understand, though."

Rachel bit her lip and contemplated Kurt's words. He made a good point. Even though she hadn't known him for very long, Finn seemed like a good guy. And she knew that he hadn't meant it in a bad way when he had spoken earlier. It was just a touchy subject for her, that was all.

Kurt reached over and squeezed Rachel's hand. "Just talk to him. You won't regret it, I promise."

* * *

**xiii.**

"Now it's not just sexual tension; it's _angry_ sexual tension. What happened between you and the giant?"

Rachel's cheeks flushed. Was it that obvious that she was attracted to Finn (even when she was angry)? She busied herself with measuring a length of fabric and refused to look at Santana. "Nothing. Everything is fine."

Santana snorted and exchanged a look with Quinn, who had just joined their group. "Please, Berry. Quinn texted me and said that she saw you storming away from Finn. You haven't talked to him since then, but you keep looking at him. And he keeps looking at you, too."

Rachel's head snapped up. "He does?"

"Wow, Rachel. You have it bad," Quinn said with a laugh.

"I do not!" Rachel exclaimed. Jeeze, she really _was_ obvious, wasn't she?

Quinn rolled her eyes. "I don't even know why you're trying to deny it. It's okay to have a crush on him, you know."

"And it might help you relax if you got laid," Santana added. "It's been what, two years?"

"Would you keep your voice down?" Rachel demanded. "The entire world doesn't need to hear about my sex life. And there are children around here, for God's sake."

"I guess we'll stop," Quinn relented.

"Besides, your sex life is a really sordid tale anyway," Santana quipped. "No one wants to hear a sad story like that."

Quinn dissolved into laughter as Rachel scowled at the Latina. "Santana!"

"What?" Santana shrugged her shoulders. "It's not like we all don't have pretty pathetic love lives, anyway."

Quinn instantly sobered. "At least you can be the person you love," she said bitterly. With an icy glare, she quickly whipped away from them.

"Quinn!" Santana immediately looked apologetic. "Quinn, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it…" She trailed off and sighed. "Shit."

Rachel bit back her initial snippy comment (really, Santana should have known better than to say things like that) and instead put her hand on her shoulder. "Just give her some time, Tana," she advised. "Quinn will come around. But you're probably going to have to apologize."

"I know."

"And it will have to be a _real_ apology. You're going to have actually said the words 'I'm sorry.'"

"Yeah, I know. I've got it. You've given me this lecture before, Berry."

"You think that you'd learn by now, then."

* * *

**xiv.**

Rachel heard the footsteps approaching, but she didn't look up from the script she was perusing through. The feet stopped next to her, and then Rachel felt a warm, large body settle next to hers.

"Hey."

Rachel finally glanced at Finn. "Hello," she greeted in return.

Finn sighed and dragged a hand through his thick hair. "What I said earlier… I didn't mean it like that, Rach. I really just meant to say that I was happy for Tina and Mike. I think she deserves a bit of happiness, you know?" He looked at her with his soft amber eyes. "You all do."

Rachel finally set aside the script and turned to face Finn. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Finn gave her that adorable half smile that made her heart melt. "Do you want to tell me what happened with Quinn? I saw her snap at you and Santana. Is everything okay?"

Rachel sighed and nodded her head. "Yes, everything is fine. Santana just said something that she shouldn't have said. They'll work it out."

Finn nodded his head once, and Rachel remembered Kurt's earlier words to her. Finn wanted to help her; he wanted to understand. And she had to help him understand. She wasn't going to be able to do that if she didn't open up to him.

"Quinn hasn't had it easy," Rachel finally said. "She hasn't seen her parents in over two years. When she was seventeen, she got pregnant. She was the head cheerleader at her high school, you know? She wasn't supposed to get pregnant. And to make matters worse, the father of the baby was a guy who was already out of high school and had been in and out of trouble for most of his life. His name was Noah Puckerman. But Quinn didn't care about any of that. She loved him, and he loved her, and they were going to raise the baby together."

Rachel sighed again. This part of the story was always the hardest, and her heart broke for her friend every time she thought about it. Finn reached over and took one of her hands, covering it completely with his large one. He squeezed comfortingly, and Rachel gave him a small smile.

"But her parents wouldn't have it. They hated Noah, and they wanted Quinn to give the baby up. Since she was seventeen, they made her give the baby up and then sent her away from Noah. She hasn't seen him since then, and she can't find him.

Finn's heart ached for Quinn, her boyfriend, and their little baby. His heart also ached for the rest of her friends and Rachel herself, since they all had stories that were equally as heartbreaking. Finn squeezed her hand again, trying to offer silent support.

Rachel looked up when Finn nudged her. With a smile, he pointed to the other side of the stage. They saw Santana approach Quinn and say a few words to her. Quinn stared at her for a long moment before she relented and hugged her.

"See?" Finn said. "Things are already working out."

Rachel looked over at Finn and bit her lip. It seemed like they really were.

* * *

**xv.**

"Alright, guys. Why don't you give me a report on how the girls are doing?" Will shuffled the papers on his desk and turned to Sam. "Why don't you go first, Sam?"

The blonde man made a face. "Santana is angry," he stated. Finn, Mike, and Joe started laughing, but Sam just glared at them. "She really is! She's always cursing in Spanish and threatening to "go all Lima Heights on my ass." I'm actually kind of afraid of her."

"I think Brittany is the only one who can really calm her down," Will said.

"Quinn is just sad all the time," Joe said. "But I think she really likes art. And she likes being around her friends."

Mike nodded his head in agreement. "Tina likes being around her friends. But I think doing this community service is really helping her. She seems to be doing better."

"The same goes for Rachel," Finn said. "She seems to be her at her happiest when she's on a stage."

"You would notice that," Sam teased with a smirk. They had all seen Finn interacting with the petite brunette over the past couple of days.

Finn threw a pen at Sam's head. "What about Mike? He's been fawning over Tina since he first saw her!"

All four men noticed how Finn didn't try to deny that he had been paying close attention to Rachel. They smirked at each other while Finn crossed his arms and grumbled to himself. Apparently, it was his week to be picked on.

"Yeah, but Mike has had a thing for Tina for years," Sam pointed out. "You only just met Rachel, and you already want to bang her."

"I don't just want to bang her!" Finn exclaimed.

Mike pointed a finger at Finn. "So you admit it, then!"

Finn snatched up several more pens from the cup on Will's desk and starting chucking them at his friends. Will shook his head, but he was wearing a smile on his face.

"Sometimes, I wonder how the four of you ended up being one of my best teams," he muttered.

* * *

**xvi.**

Rachel sat next to Quinn and gave her sympathetic look when she saw what she was looking at. The blonde was holding a picture tightly in her hands, and her cheeks had still drying tear tracks on them. Rachel wrapped an arm around Quinn's shoulders and squeezed.

"Hey, Q," she said. "How are you doing?"

Quinn shrugged her shoulders and tilted the picture so Rachel could see it. It had been taken right after Quinn had the baby. She was holding the small infant, and Puck was cuddled up beside them. They both looked so happy in that picture.

"I wish I knew where he was," Quinn said quietly. "I wish I could see him again."

"I know you do," Rachel said. "Maybe one day, you can find him again."

Quinn shook her head slowly. "It's been two years, Rachel. What if he doesn't want to see me anymore?"

"I'm sure that's not true." Rachel took the picture from Quinn and held it up so that it was right in front of her face. "Look at the man in this picture. He looks so happy and so in love. I don't think he's given up on finding you yet, Quinn."

Tina, Santana, and Brittany quietly joined them on the couch, crowding close around them. They all gave Quinn a hug at the same time. Tina sighed and tugged on the end of one of her blue-tipped strands of hair.

"Do you think we could have a campfire, or something?" she suggested. "It might make us feel a little better."

"Careful, Tina," Santana quipped. "Someone might think we have a problem."

"We don't have a problem" Quinn said firmly. "We don't have to set fires to be happy. Right, Rachel?"

Rachel's brow furrowed. "Right." She didn't really understand why everyone was looking at her like that. It wasn't long before Quinn answered her unasked question.

"I mean, it's pretty clear that Finn Hudson makes Rachel happy, so…"

Rachel rolled her eyes but didn't bother to deny it. Being around Finn Hudson _did_ make her feel better. When he smiled at her, she didn't feel so much as if her life was in shambles.

Santana leaned over to Quinn. "Maybe we should just lock them in a closet and let them go at it."

"I heard that, Santana!"

* * *

**xvii.**

Practice was over with the kids for the day, but the volunteers were hanging around to work on the sets and costumes. The girls and the firemen they were partnered with were currently doing inventory on the props needed in the show.

As they checked things off on their lists, Santana started humming under her breath. It wasn't long before she started singing. "_I like the island Manhattan. Smoke on your pipe, and put that in!_"

Quinn, Tina, Brittany, and Rachel all grinned at each other before they started singing along. "_I like to be in America. Okay by me in America. Everything free in America._"

With their checklists forgotten, the five girls started dancing and singing around each other. They didn't notice that Finn, Sam, Mike, Joe, and Will were watching them with absolutely awestruck look on their faces. They were too busy having fun. It had been too long since they relaxed and let loose like this.

Brittany and Santana finished up the song together. "_You forget I'm in America,_" Santana sang to her girlfriend.

Brittany twirled in a wide circle. "_I think I'll go back to San Juan._"

"_I know a boat you can get on._"

"_Everyone there will give big cheer!_"

"_Everyone there will have moved here!_"

As Santana's last note rang out, the five men started wildly applauding. Santana, Brittany, Quinn, Tina, and Rachel started. Honestly, they had been so caught up in their performance they had forgotten that they weren't alone. Still, they all curtsied under the men's praise.

"That was amazing, girls," Will complimented. "Really. I haven't seen that much talent in a very long time."

"Thank you!" Rachel exclaimed. She loved this. She lived for performing, for being in front of a crowd. It had been so long, she had almost forgotten what it felt like.

"We don't only put on shows with high school students, you know," Joe said. "You all should consider trying out for the next play."

"That's not a bad idea," Quinn said. She nudged Rachel. "What do you say? It might give you a chance to get back on the stage."

Rachel almost said no. _Almost_. But then Finn caught her eye and smiled, giving her a wink. Rachel beamed at him and nodded her head.

"Sure. That sounds wonderful."

* * *

**xviii.**

"Do you think you could sing a song for me?"

Rachel looked up from her spot in the middle of the stage. Finn was walking down aisle of the theater with that gorgeous crooked grin on his face. He climbed up onto the stage and gave her an expectant look as he waited for her answer.

Rachel blinked at him. She had thought that she had been completely alone in the theater. "What?"

"Sing for me. Please." Finn gestured around the stage. "You seemed so happy when you were singing today. And your voice was beautiful. I was just hoping that I could hear it now."

When Rachel was eighteen, she never would have turned down a request to sing. It had changed a little bit over the past few years, but here Finn Hudson was, asking her to sing. She couldn't say no. Finn stood off to the side, and it took Rachel only a moment to decide on what song to sing.

"_Tonight, tonight, it all began tonight. _

_I saw you and the world went away._

_Tonight, tonight, there's only you tonight. _

_What you are, what you do, what you say._"

Finn was completely amazed. Rachel's voice had sounded fantastic when she was singing with the other girls, but her voice on its own… it was truly something. He had never heard a voice like hers before.

When Rachel finished the song, she opened her eyes and saw Finn staring at her with his lips slightly parted. After a moment, he started clapping. It may have been only one person, but Rachel loved to hear the applause all the same.

"Rachel…" Finn took a step closer to her. "You're voice is _amazing_. It's really something special. You have a gift."

Rachel blushed. People told her that all of the time, but it felt different coming from Finn. He was looking at her with such awe and admiration in his eyes.

"You should be famous, or something," Finn said.

Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "That's the plan for the future."

"Yeah? What do you want to?"  
Rachel swallowed and picked at the hem of her shirt before she said, "It's always been my dream to be on Broadway."

Finn strode forward until he was standing right in front of her. He put one of his big hands on her shoulder and squeezed. "I really think that you'll make it."

Rachel looked right into his eyes. The amber depths pulled her in and made her lose her breath. He smiled again, and she saw nothing but sincerity in his eyes. He was being completely genuine.

"You really think so?" she asked.

Finn nodded his head and slid his hand from her shoulder to her cheek. "I really do."

* * *

**xix.**

It was during their lunch break that Finn asked about Santana and Brittany.

Brittany was walking by, and Santana had caught her by the wrist and pulled her into her lap. Giggling, they exchanged a few sweet kisses and then proceeded to share their lunch. Santana might have been an angry person most of the time, but Brittany made her truly happy.

"What's their story?" Finn asked as he gestured towards them.

"Oh." A small smile touched Rachel's lips. "Well, that one is still sad, but it has a bit of a happy ending. Santana and Brittany went to the same high school that I went to. We were from a small town in Ohio. When Santana and Brittany came out as a couple, people didn't react to it very well. Santana's parents were perfectly fine and supported them. Brittany's parents, on the other hand… they threw her out. And when Santana's grandmother found out, she flipped out and cut off all contact from the rest of her family. So Santana and Brittany left. They didn't want to cause pain to the people around them anymore."

Finn shook his head. "That's not fair," he mumbled. He thought of Kurt and the way he had been bullied by a few people. Finn had put a quick stop to that, and Kurt was very good at standing up for himself. And then he found Blaine and was perfectly happy with him.

"It's not," Rachel agreed. "But at least they have each other."

"And they have you and Tina and Quinn, too. They're lucky."

"I guess we're all lucky that we managed to find each other." Looking over at Finn, she quietly added, "And we're lucky that we ended up here, too."

Finn grinned down at her, his eyes twinkling. He reached for her hand and squeezed it softly, rubbing his thumb over the back of it. Rachel rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his fingers stroking her skin.

Finn squeezed Rachel's hand again to get her attention. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "The guys and I are going bowling after this," he said. "I was wondering if you, Quinn, Tina, Santana, and Brittany wanted to come with us."

Quinn and Tina had overheard the question and were already nodding their heads. Rachel laughed and tried not to think about how Finn still had a firm grip on her hand.

"That's sounds like fun," she said. "I think the rest of the girls definitely want to go. I have to warn you, though. I'm not exactly good at bowling."

"Don't worry about it," Finn said. "I can help you out. I'm a good teacher."

* * *

**xx.**

"Finn, I got another gutter ball!"

Finn tried hard not to laugh at the pout on Rachel's face as she stood facing him, her hands on her hips. He picked up another small, pink bowling ball and handed it to Rachel.

"Don't worry, Rach. We can figure this out. Now stand here." He gripped her hips and angled her in the right way. Placing his hand over hers, he pulled her arm back. He put his other hand on her hip to steady her as her body turned.

"I noticed you have this habit of not really caring where the ball goes. You have to actually care if you want to get some points."

"I care!" Rachel exclaimed. "And you sound like you played some sports in high school."

"I did," Finn said with a grin. "I was quarterback of the football team."

"Of course you were," Rachel teased. "You seem like the All-American football guy."

Finn playfully nudged her with his hip and swung her arm back again. "You have to line it up. And when you're ready, you just…"

They let go of the bowling ball together and watched as it went down the lane. It went right down the middle and knocked over all of the pins, giving Rachel a strike. She squealed in delight and jumped up and down, clapping her hands.

"That was amazing!" Rachel exclaimed. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around Finn's neck, hugging him tightly. Finn didn't hesitate to return the embrace, a smile coming onto his face.

When Rachel pulled back, she still kept her arms wrapped around Finn. He held her against him and looked into her bright doe eyes. His arms tightened around her as his eyes zeroed in on her lips. They were so close, and he really wanted to kiss her…

Santana banged into him and pushed him out of the way. "Stop manhandling Berry and get out of my way, Lurch. It's my turn to bowl."

Rachel let out an exasperated sigh as Finn set her down and let go of her. "Santana," she muttered under her breath. Grabbing the empty pitchers, she announced, "I'm going to get some more soda."

She was more than mildly annoyed that Santana had ruined the moment between her and Finn. Rachel brought the pitchers to the counter and put them down, waiting for the concession worker to fill them up again.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

Rachel looked up to find Finn standing behind her. He put a hand on her arm and looked at her with his soft amber eyes. He pushed the now full pitchers of soda down the counter, where less people were milling around.

"I'm fine," Rachel said with a wave of her hand. "Santana just frustrates me a little."

Finn's eyes brightened. Maybe she had wanted to kiss him as much as he wanted to kiss her. Stepping closer, he put a hand on her hip and tugged her towards him. Rachel looked up at Finn with wide eyes, but he just smiled down at her.

He slowly bent forward until his lips were just hovering over hers. When she didn't push him away, Finn closed the remaining distance between them and kissed her softly, gently. Rachel's tiny fists came up to grip his shirt as she pulled him closer.

They broke apart a few moments later, and Rachel gave Finn a blinding smile. She leaned forward and hugged him tightly. Finn's arms wrapped around her and he dropped a kiss to the top of her head.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me sometime," Finn said.

Rachel grinned. "I'd really like that."

* * *

**xxi.**

"They're so cute it's kind of disgusting."

Kurt nodded his head in agreement as he passed an iron to Santana. "They smile and kiss all of the time. I walked in on them making out when I dropped off something at Finn's apartment." He shuddered dramatically. "I don't need to see my brother doing things like that."

"I heard Rachel call Finn her boyfriend last night. I guess they made it official."

"Finn has been calling her his girlfriend for the past week. They've been on what, four dates?"

"Yeah. And she comes home from each one even giddier than the last."

Kurt's face finally broke out into a big grin. "Oh, I can't even pretend to be disgusted by it. I'm so happy that my brother is happy."

Santana nodded her head and smiled as well. "I don't think I've seen Rachel this happy in a long time. Especially since this is normally a pretty bad time of year for her."

"Who would have thought?" Kurt mused. "The firefighter and the arsonist. I guess opposites really do attract."

Kurt and Santana watched as Finn picked Rachel up and held her tight against him. She giggled as he swung her around in a circle. When he put her down, Rachel slid her arms around Finn's neck and kissed him. When they pulled apart, Finn took her hand and winked at her, pulling her backstage.

Santana made a face. "I swear to God, their like rabbits. And they haven't even actually slept together yet!"

"Ew, Santana! I didn't need to know that!"

* * *

**xxii.**

"Finn, I have a question."

Finn didn't remove his lips from Rachel's necks. "Hmm?" he mumbled against her skin. He gently nibbled at her pulse point, and then his tongue laved over it, making Rachel shiver.

"Finn," Rachel gasped as his hand slid up under her shirt. "You're going to have to stop that so I can ask the question. I can't really think when you… _oh._"

Finn smirked against her neck and kissed his way up to her mouth. "That's kind of the idea," he mumbled.

Rachel giggled and pushed at Finn's chest. "Finn, I'm serious. Just let me ask this question and then we'll go back to making out, I promise."

"Okay, alright. Fine." Finn detached his lips from Rachel's neck but pulled her into his arms. She snuggled into his chest and played with the hem of his shirt. "What's up?"

"You know some police officers, right?"

Finn was taken aback by the question. He certainly hadn't expected his girlfriend to ask that. "Yeah." A smirk came onto his face. "Why? Do you want me to get some handcuffs so we can role play?"

Rachel blushed. "Finn!" But she couldn't help but get all hot and bothered by the thought of Finn handcuffing her to a bed. …Or of her handcuffing Finn to the bed. Either scenario would work just fine for her. "I'm being serious right now."

"Aw." Finn pouted. "No role play?"

"Maybe, if you play your cards right and let me ask my question."

Finn was suddenly all ears.

Rachel giggled before she said, "So can I ask for a favor, then?"

"Of course, Rach. I'd do anything for you."

And Rachel knew that he would. She touched Finn's cheek before she said, "Do you think your friends at the police station could find Noah for Quinn? She misses him so much, Finn. Santana and Brittany have each other, Tina has Mike, and now I have you. I just hate to see Quinn like this."

Finn ran his fingers through her hair. "You have the biggest heart, Rachel Berry. You're amazing."

* * *

**xxiii.**

"Hey Karofsky. I have a favor to ask you."

"What's up, Hudson?" Karofsky asked as he stood up from his desk. "How are the girls doing?"

Finn smiled. "They're great. Things are going really well. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Sure. What's going on?"

"I need you to find someone for me. His name is Noah Puckerman. He last lived in Connecticut."

"It might take a couple of days, but I can do it."

Finn clapped the other man on the shoulder. "Great. Just call me when you have it."

"Can I ask who you're doing it for?" Karofsky questioned.

"He's Quinn's boyfriend. But Rachel asked me to find him for Quinn. I just couldn't say no."

Karofsky grinned at Finn. "You really like that girl, don't you?"

Finn nodded his head and couldn't stop the smile that came over his face at the thought of Rachel. "I really do."

"Holy shit." Karofsky's eyes widened. "You love her, don't you?"

Finn could feel his cheeks redden. The truth was, he had been thinking about it more and more. He was really beginning to think that he loved Rachel. Karofsky patted Finn on the back.

"Congratulations, Finn," he said. "I'll find the guy for Quinn and I'll let you know. Go and see your girl, man."

* * *

**xxiv.**

Finn joined Rachel on the blankets as he finished starting the fire in the fireplace. She curled into his embrace and played with the buttons on his shirt.

"Thanks for taking me to the show tonight, Finn," Rachel said.

"No problem, Rach. I really enjoyed it." He smoothed his hand over her hair. "But I can't wait for the day that I can see you up on that stage. You're going to be a star one day, Rachel."

"Do you really think so?" Rachel asked. It had been her dream, but she sometimes wondered if she could really do it. She wanted to believe that she could, and she knew she had the talent, but she had had so many things taken from her already. She didn't want her dreams to be taken away from her, either.

Finn kissed her temple. "Of course I do. You're too special not to make it, Rachel."

Rachel twisted in Finn's arms until she was able to straddle his lap. With a beaming smile, she leaned down unto her lips were pressed against his. The kiss quickly escalated, and Finn's hands slid under her shirt and rested over the back of her bra. Pulling back, Rachel tugged the shirt over her head.

"You know," she whispered. "You can touch me if you want to."

Finn's eyes were dark as he reached out and covered one of her bra-clad breasts with his large, warm palm. "I want to," he murmured, his voice husky.

Rachel kissed him again as they slowly peeled each other's clothes off. Finn rolled her under him and kissed his way down her body. His lips passed over her breasts, stopping to suck a nipple into his mouth. He continued down her stomach and brushed his lips along her inner thigh. His tongue probed between her folds, licking and sucking, and Rachel cried out and locked her fingers in his hair.

She pulled him back up and kissed him again, sliding her fingers down to wrap around his length. She found the condom and slowly rolled it on to him as Finn groaned into her neck. He sucked on her pulse point, marking her as his.

Taking her hands and lacing their fingers together, Finn held Rachel's hands over her head and pressed into her. She cried out as he stretched her, welcoming that delicious feeling. Finn started a slow, even pace, pulling out almost all the way and thrusting back in.

"Fuck, Rach," he breathed.

Rachel clutched at his back and moaned as her hips rose to meet his. "So good," she gasped.

Their movements grew frantic, Finn's hips slamming into Rachel's. When his hand snaked between their bodies and pressed between her legs, Rachel fell apart with a loud cry. Finn thrust into her a few more times before he came.

Finn rolled onto his back and took Rachel with him. She purred in contentment as his fingers traced up and down her back, and she let the steady beating of his heart lull her to sleep.

* * *

**xxv.**

When Finn woke up, he found Rachel staring into the dying embers of the fire.

She prodded at it gently with the poker, watching as the small pieces of wood still left flared slightly. A small sigh escaped her and Finn sat up, pulling her into his arms.

"Hey," he murmured against her shoulder as he dropped a kiss there. "What's up?"

Rachel shrugged her shoulders and didn't say anything. She just leaned back against his strong chest and closed her eyes, depositing the fire poker next to her.

"Do you miss it?" he asked quietly.

Rachel knew what he was talking about. "What? Setting fires?" When Finn nodded his head, she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Not really. It was… just an outlet, I suppose. A way to feel in control."

"You felt like you had no control?"

"I felt powerless. A lot of things had happened in my life that I had no control over, but when I lit a match… I knew I had control over that. Maybe it wasn't the best outlet in the world, but it worked. For a time, anyway." She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Finn. "Now I have some new outlets. Better ones."

Finn grinned and kissed her softly. When he pulled away, he asked, "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Rachel stared at him for a long moment. It suddenly occurred to her that she did want to tell him what happened. She wanted to tell him everything… because she loved him.

Rachel turned in Finn's arms so that her cheek was pressed over his heart. "During my senior year of high school, my daddy got cancer. It wasn't long before we discovered that it was terminal. He lasted until just after my graduation and then passed away."

"Oh baby." Finn rubbed her back in large, soothing circles.

"This time of year is always the hardest for me, because it was when everything happened." Rachel took a deep breath before continuing. "My papa took it very hard. I had to get ready to go to NYADA, but I tried to take care of my papa, too. But he was so sad and depressed…" Tears welled in Rachel's eyes. "One day, near the end of summer, I came home to find my papa… he… he…" She trailed off as the tears began to roll down Rachel's cheeks.

Finn hugged her tightly as she pressed her face into his chest. He dropped kisses to her hair and her forehead and just let her cry it out. It took a little while, but Rachel's tears eventually dried. She traced her fingers over his chest before she tilted her face towards his.

"Thank you, Finn," she murmured.

Finn kissed her forehead again. "Anytime, Rachel."

Rachel reached up to kiss him. When she pulled away, she whispered, "I love you."

Her eyes widened at her admission. It had just slipped out. But now it was out there in the open, and… and… and Finn was smiling. In fact, he had full blown grin on his face as he pulled her towards him and kissed him again.

"I love you too, Rach."

She started the fires and he put them out. It shouldn't have worked, but it did. They shouldn't have loved each other, but they did.

* * *

**xxvi.**

"This is the best damn play ever. Look at those sets and those costumes. They're practically professional grade."

"Of course they are," Kurt said. "I was in charge of the design. You can expect nothing less from Kurt Hummel."

Santana rolled her eyes. "I was talking about our excellent handy work, Lady Hummel. You just sat on your skinny ass and bossed the rest of us around."

"Someone had to delegate, Santana!"

The rest of their group sighed and shook their heads in amusement as Santana and Kurt continued to bicker. Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist and pulled her against him, dropping a kiss to her temple. Rachel turned to press a quick kiss to his lips.

"How is the show going so far?" he asked.

"It's great. The kids are amazing," Rachel said.

"Are you sad that your community service is over?"

"A little bit," Rachel admitted. "But I was thinking that we could work on the next show together."

"That sounds pretty perfect," Finn said. He pulled her off to the side, so that she had a clear view of the door. "Now, I want you to watch."

"Watch what? The show is still going on," Rachel said as her brow furrowed in confusion.

Finn grinned. "You'll see."

Another ten minutes passed before the door opened. In stepped a very familiar man with a Mohawk. Rachel's jaw dropped open, and she turned to face Finn. He nodded his head, and they both turned to watch Quinn.

It was another few moments before Quinn just happened to turn around. Her eyes passed over Puck before they suddenly jerked back. They widened and her mouth dropped open in disbelief.

"Oh my God," she breathed. "Puck?"

He held his arms out. "Hey, Q."

Quinn ran into his arms with tears streaming down her cheeks. They hugged tightly before Puck kissed Quinn. Rachel wrapped her arms around Finn's neck and pulled him close for a kiss of her own.

"I love you so much," Rachel said against his lips. "I can't believe you found him."

"I love you too, Rach," Finn said. "Even if you do have a tendency to set fires."

Rachel laughed and pushed on his chest. The truth was, both she and Finn had never been so glad that she had been arrested.

* * *

**xxvii.**

"Rachel, your baby is a pyro!"

Rachel ran towards Kurt and lifted her daughter out of his arms. "Please tell me that you haven't been letting her go near the fireplace!"

"Of course not," Kurt said. "What kind of uncle do you think I am? Now go give that baby to your husband, Rachel. We have to do the final fitting on your dress for the Tony Awards."

It was then that Finn came into the room. "My daddy sense were tingling," he said. He lifted the three old girl into his arms and blew a raspberry on her stomach. She giggled wildly and clapped her hands together. "How's my little Lily doing? Hey, baby," he added as he bent to give Rachel a kiss.

"Don't worry, Finn. You're next. I have to make sure that your tux is perfect," Kurt said as he handed the garment bag to Rachel.

Finn groaned. "No way, Kurt. I already had my tux altered three times at your insistence. There is no way that I'm doing it again."

Kurt glared at his brother. "You don't listen to me, your daughter doesn't listen to me… it's a wonder I can get anything done around here!"

"My little Lily is a perfectly well-behaved little girl," Finn said. "Isn't that right, sweet pea?"

Lily giggled. "Yeah, Daddy!" she exclaimed.

Rachel grinned as she watched the interaction between father and daughter. "She was near the fireplace again," she explained.

Finn chuckled and pulled Rachel into his side. "Like mother, like daughter," he teased. He smoothed his hand over the barely visible bump that was forming underneath Rachel's shirt. "Maybe this baby will like something that I like. He could play the drums!"

"Alright, alright. Let's go. I have to make sure that this dress fits perfectly," Kurt said.

Finn rolled his eyes. "Kurt, you altered her dress three days ago. The Tonys are tomorrow. I'm sure that the dress still fits just fine."

"Finn, this is Rachel's second Tony Awards! And she's bound to win another one for her amazing portrayal of Evita!"

Rachel took her daughter from her husband. "Daddy and Uncle Kurt are just being silly, aren't they?" she said to the toddler.

"Yeah, silly!" Lily exclaimed. "Daddy is silly!"

"Oh, Daddy is silly, huh?" Finn tickled Lily until she was shrieking with giggles. Laughing, Finn pulled his daughter and wife into his arms and collapsed onto the couch with them. Lilly curled into Finn's chest and Rachel leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" Finn asked.

"Of course," Rachel said. "But I'm more excited right now." And honestly, she was. Sitting with her husband and her daughter, Rachel couldn't imagine any other place that she wanted to be.

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay, so I guess Rachel and the girls were more pyro-like than they were arsonists. But I tried and just sort of rolled with it. I hope that you all enjoyed it, and let me know what you thought!**


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